Salaries For Cinematography

Cinematographers may hire shooting crew and order film stock supplies.

Cinematographers are camera operators who work in the motion picture industry. The term "cinematography" has its roots in the Greek terms "kinema," meaning movement, and "graph," meaning writing. A cinematographer's job is to transform the movie scenes written in the screenplay into actual moving images. They work with directors to determine how best to tell the story, then liaise with lighting and sound operators to set up the technical requirements of each shot. Cinematographers are often also involved in the editing process. Salary levels for the role vary according to factors such as location.

Average Salary

For the purposes of its May 2010 national employment survey, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics classified cinematographers alongside camera operators in the television and video industries. It calculated that the average annual salary across the professional category was $48,450. This translates into a monthly wage totalling $4,038 and an hourly rate of $23.29. Practitioners amongst the top 10 percent of earners received a salary of over $81,270, while those in the bottom 10 percent averaged less than $20,300.

Salary by Industry

The bureau's statistics placed the average yearly wage for a camera operator working within the motion picture and video industries -- the sector in which cinematographers are employed -- at $52,380. This compared favorably with the other primary employment sector for camera operators, radio and television broadcasting, which averaged $41,630. Camera operators working within other professional, scientific and technical services earned an average salary of $45,270.

Salary by Geography

Location also affects a cinematographer's salary. Wage analysis website SalaryExpert.com surveyed pay rates for the occupation in some large U.S. cities. It reported that, as of June 2011, rates were highest in Dallas and Los Angeles, averaging $88,663 and $87,465, respectively. Chicago and New York City had comparable wage levels -- $63,585 and $62,804, respectively -- while Orlando had among the lowest rates, just $30,706. The bureau listed the District of Columbia and Massachusetts as the states in which a camera operator such as a cinematographer was likely to earn the highest salary, averaging $66,250 and $65,470, respectively. Wages in Hawaii and New York State were very similar -- $45,020 and $44,650, respectively -- while Vermont had an average of $32,210.

Prospects

The motion picture and broadcasting industries are popular career choices, and the bureau cautions that, while employment opportunities are likely to increase across the industry by around 11 percent over the decade from 2008 to 2018, competition for vacancies will be keen. Growth may be tempered by a rise in off-shore movie production. Cinematographers can enhance their job prospects, and thus their prospects of earning the best salaries, by developing skills in digital and computer-aided filming.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics; Television, Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators and Editors; December 2009
• Bureau of Labor Statistics; Occupational Employment and Wages - Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture; May 2010
• SalaryExpert; Cinematographer Film Editor Salaries; June 2011